Greetings!

This week I had the privilege of attending the Latinos for Education event at the State House, where Jackie McCready was honored for her commitment to Education as a Latinx educator. For those who don't know who Jackie is, she is an ESL teacher at our school who works in k-2, supporting students learning English as their second language. Jackie has been in this role for the past four years. Before taking on this position, Jackie was one of the original Spanish teachers who helped launch our Spanish program at the elementary level.

Latinos for Education's mission is to develop a space and place for Latino educators to connect with each other and state-level leadership. They are growing and building an ecosystem of Latino advocates by infusing Latino talent into positions of influence.

The organization is committed to equitable Education for Latino students by celebrating and encouraging Latinos to enter the field of Education and take leadership roles.

This year's event theme was CON GANAS We Can! Jackie was quick to embrace the slogan and the spirit of the event.

Jackie was accompanied by her husband, Adam, and her two sons, Noah and Cayden. Here are a few pictures from the event.

Congratulations, Jackie! Your Lowell family is proud of your accomplishment!

Have a lovely weekend!

Stacy

Caregivers will be able to sign up for conferences beginning Monday, October 17, 2022. To book your conference please visit our School's Website.

All conferences are virtual this year. We have made this decision to accommodate families who have students in two buildings. We look forward to offering in person conferences in our new school new year.

There are numerous benefits to starting each day with a morning meeting in the classroom that make it worth the few extra minutes each morning. It’s important to note that benefits are seen when morning meeting is a regular and consistent part of each day. Come join us and attend the morning meeting with your student. The schedule by grade is below. Please stay and have a cup of coffee with Mrs. Phelan and Mr. Chen and our SEL team. We will also review how Title One funds support teaching and learning at Lowell.

Here are a few positive outcomes that morning meeting can support:

• Builds meaningful relationships and establishes the trust (student to student and teacher to student)
• Sets the tone for a positive classroom climate
• Creates a space to highlight and discuss mental health needs
• Promotes the idea that all voices matter and are listened to
• Provides opportunities for teaching social, emotional, and academic skills
• Increases student confidence and self-awareness
• Motivates learners to do their best
• Supports academic learning
• Creates a kinder community

Simply put, morning meetings help all students do their best.

We invite caregivers to stay for coffee and conversation with Ms. Phelan & Mr. Chen and our SEL team from 8:30-9:30 am.

We'll also explain how Title 1 Funds support teaching and learning at Lowell.

The Watertown Public School System and its Title I Schoolwide Program, K - 8, are committed to continuously improving the opportunities for parents to be actively involved in their child's learning at home and in school. We have found this general education support to be highly valuable in helping students improve their math and literacy skills. Title I is the largest Federally funded supplemental education program. It does not replace what the school does; instead, Title I gives schools and students additional resources and instruction in math and reading. Title I partially funds our math and reading support and after-school tutoring. Our tutors work closely with the classroom teachers to help improve students’ skills in reading and writing.

This district Parent Involvement Plan serves to outline overall expectations for parent involvement activities and programs, establish an environment for parental participation in Watertown's Title I programs at the school level, and identify the support that the Title I program can provide to assist schools in achieving their goals of supporting student learning. The Title I Home/School Compact outlines school, parent/guardian, and student responsibilities.

We welcome you to join us for an informal meeting for parents at our upcoming Parent Coffee, where we can talk in more detail about the Title I Schoolwide Program in grades K - 8 and answer any questions you may have, which will be held after each grade level Parent Morning Meeting. If you have any questions, please contact the school at 781-899-3701 Coffee will be served.

Parents are invited to attend their student's coffee by grade level:

Fifth 10/14

Fourth 10/21

Third 10/28

Second 11/4

First 11/10

kindergarten 11/18

This year, our concert dress will consist of dark pants/bottoms and our new Watertown Performing Arts t-shirt! Our t-shirt is designed through CustomInk and can be ordered directly through the website. You can opt to have it shipped as part of a bulk order to the school for free, or shipped to you directly for a small fee. The orders will close on Friday, October 21. T-shirts shipped to the school will be distributed in early November.

Here is the link to order:
https://www.customink.com/g/upv0-00cn-fr3q

If you feel so inclined, we welcome any donations of shirts to help sponsor a student in need. When purchasing the shirt, there is an option to leave a note as to which is being purchased as a donation.

We recommend that students get a t-shirt for our performances, in case it's warm or we perform outside in the warmer months, but anyone (family, friends, etc) is welcome to purchase any of the items to show your support for the performing arts program in our elementary schools. Band, Chorus, and Orchestra will all have the same shirt, so it will double for students who are doing both an instrumental and a vocal ensemble.

Our first concert will be Tuesday, the 13th of December at 8:30am in the Lowell West Gym/Cafeteria. It will feature 4th and 5th grade chorus and 5th grade instruments.

Thank you for all you do and email me with any questions,

Anthony Spano

Lowell Elementary Music Educator

Watertown SEPAC invites all caregivers to attend a virtual Disability-Centered Equity Listening Session on Monday, October 17 from 6-8pm. More details, including the Zoom meeting link, can be found here:

Watertown Mutual Aid Network’s is hosting a Winter Donation Drive & Free Store is on Sunday, November 6th at Ballroom in Boston at 100 Parker Street in Watertown, MA. They will be receiving donations of winter coats, winter clothes for kids, and personal care items from 10:30am-12:30pm and then indivduals/families can "shop" for free 1-2:30pm. This event is open to anyone.

Lowell Family Teacher Organization (FTO) Weekly Updates

Join us for the Fall Festival:Friday, October 28 at 6PM, Phillips Parking Lot

Please volunteer, if you can, to decorate your trunk and pass out candy.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0545A5AE28A0F49-trunk1

Kids can wear costumes and trick-or-treat safely with their Lowell School friends.

Donate to the Watertown Food Drive: October 11 - 21

Please bring in non-perishable items to support the Watertown Food Pantries.

If your child takes the bus, please don't have them carry too much with them.

Drop off locations at the Lowell West and the Phillips School.

Come to our next FTO Meeting: Tuesday, October 11, 6:30PM

We'll welcome SEPAC members to talk about that important organization and how the FTO can work together with them. We'll also discuss upcoming events and have a Principal's Update. See you there!

Zoom Meeting:

Consider a Voluntary Contribution:

Our activities and events are 100% supported by fundraising and family contributions. Everyone is always welcome at all events whether or not you financially contribute. Please consider donating if you are able. You can send in a check to your child's teacher or donate via PayPal on our website.

http://jrlowellpto.weebly.com/

We’d love your help! If you would like to volunteer, please email: lowellelementarypto@gmail.com

Find Us! You can find us on the web at: http://jrlowellpto.weebly.com/ and please like/follow our new Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/LowellFTO

Zoom Link for October FTO Meeting

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86956932224?pwd=WjV5VVNnenZjaVhSan

ZxRThhaTJMZz09

Meeting ID: 869 5693 2224

Passcode: 533200

10/10 (Monday)

Indigenous Peoples Day - No School

10/11 (Tuesday)

6:30PM - 7:30PM FTO Meeting

10/14 (Friday)

8:15AM - 8:45AM Morning Meeting Visit by Families (Grade 5)

8:45AM - 9:45AM Principal Coffee Hour (Lowell West)

8:30AM - 10:30AM Picture Day (Phillips)

12:30PM - 2:00PM Picture Day (Lowell West)

10/17 (Monday)

6:00PM - 7:00PM SEPAC, Disability-Centered Equity Listening Session

10/21 (Friday)

8:15AM - 8:45AM Morning Meeting Visit by Families (Grade 4)

8:45AM - 9:45AM Principal Coffee Hour (Lowell West)

10/24 (Monday)

Diwali

10/25 (Tuesday)

4:30PM - 6:30PM Parent Teacher Conference

7:00PM - 8:00PM DIB Council Meeting

10/27 (Thursday)

12:15PM Early Release

1:00PM Parent Teacher Conference

10/28 (Friday)

8:15AM - 8:45AM Morning Meeting Visit by Families (Grade 3)

8:45AM - 9:45AM Principal Coffee Hour (Lowell West)

Friday, October 28th

Trunk or Treat

Phillips Parking Lot

Located

31 Marshall Street

Sponsored by the FTO